(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to safety and more particularly to creating a zone of safety along the side of a stopped school bus during periods of boarding, or disembarking passengers.
(2) Description of the Related Art
A long-recognized problem exists in stopping traffic for school buses while passengers are boarding and disembarking. Normally the door for this purpose is on the right side of the bus next to the curbside while the driver sits on the left side of the bus. When the bus is stopped, often automobiles will pass to the left side of the bus, despite stop signs and other warnings.
STANTON U.S. Pat. No. 1,786,678 in 1930 disclosed an arm or gate to swing from the driver's side of the school bus to prevent this traffic. This gate was located adjacent to the driver's position near the front of the bus.
RUNKLE U.S. Pat. No. 3,153,398 in 1964 disclosed a gate which would swing directly in front of the bus along the door side of the bus. LATTA U.S. Pat. No. 1,559,518 in 1985 also disclosed a gate which swung directly ahead of the bus from the right side of the bus as did WICKER U.S. Pat. No. 4,697,541 in 1987. These gates from the door side of the bus were designed to prevent the passengers from the bus passing directly in front of the bus, where automobiles passing the bus on the driver's side could not see them as they stepped from immediately in front of the bus. All the gates of RUNKLE, LATTA and WICKER were designed to swing about a vertical axis so that the gates would sweep through a horizontal path and in the closed position would lie along the front bumper.
WICKER U.S. Pat. No. 4,956,630 in 1990 disclosed obstructing pedestrian traffic in front of a bus. Also disclosed in the LATTA and the two WICKER patents, are signs on the driver's side of the bus directing traffic to stop. These signs are distinguished from gates, inasmuch as the gates prevented traffic from passage wherein the signs only instructed traffic to stop.
WELLS U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,192 in 1989 disclosed a telescoping gate which telescoped within the front bumper to obstruct traffic from the front of the bus.